Rebirth
by Hero of Lorule
Summary: After the restoration of Lorule's Triforce, Ravio and Hilda must face the rebirth of an ancient evil that lay dormant while corruption swept the land. With a lack of courage, Ravio must set out to reclaim his hero spirit and reforge Lorule's master sword, while Princess Hilda attempts to restore her Kingdom. If they fail, they both know no one will be there to help them.
1. New Day

Ravio and Hilda just stood there, wondering what they should do next. The only chance for a Triforce was gone after the crack in the pillar stopped glowing, cutting them off from Hyrule forever. As Ravio was going to get Princess Hilda, a great quake came out of nowhere and all at once the great fissure began to grow brighter and brighter until it finally shattered the great stone tablet as the flecks of stone began to flutter to the ground, something was forming where the tablet had been. It was the Lorulian Triforce. When Hilda saw this, she fell to her knees weeping and thanking Zelda and Link for saving her land. Ravio just stared at the golden triangles in disbelief. After what seemed like an eternity, Ravio went over to the princess as the sun was shining again on this fallen kingdom.

"We probably get back to your people, your highness." As Ravio gently placed his hand on her shoulder. Without a moment's hesitation she put her hand on his, silently thanking him for all he had done. For a few minutes they just remained that way. The fallen princess and her fearful hero.

"I believe you're right. In the end, Zelda and Link still displayed the qualities of the princess and the hero, which I'm afraid our land has not seen in a long time.

Rising slowly, Hilda regained her composure and turned to face Ravio. After giving him a nod, the two trekked out of their sacred realm into Lorule Castle. After seeing the destruction from the fight between Link and Yugaganon, the princess let out a tired sigh. Noticing this, Ravio let out a yawn of his own. "We've been pretty stressed the last few hours, maybe we should rest before we start seeing the people again. It's not like the kingdom will crumble to nothing in a few hours." This attempt at humor did not phase the princess as she silently pondered the future of her kingdom. After a few minutes of silently walking through the corridors of the castle, Hilda agreed with Ravio and went about the task of finding a bed for the two of them to sleep in. With all the destruction of the castle they were only able to find one room and one bed. Due to their exhaustion, the pair fell into the bed gladly falling asleep almost instantly knowing that the kingdom would be revived. Little did they know, an evil power was reviving with it.


	2. New Fear

_So people who are reading my work, I will update this story as it's written. The story is shaping itself as I write it, so always show your support and Review. It would be greatly appreciated. The first chapter was just a little introduction. The chapters will be a lot longer from now on. I forgot to mention in the last chapter, I do not own The Legend of Zelda. Without further adieu, let's get to the story_

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><p>Hilda woke up in what felt like a grassy field, enjoying the feeling she didn't open her eyes right away. Slowly, she sat up and blinked in the bright sunlight. This was definitely something she wasn't use too. Getting up she looked around her surroundings. There was Lorule Castle, and there was Death Mountain, and there was Lake Lolia. This was definitely Lorule, but where did all the cracks go she wondered. She didn't have time to worry about as she heard a groan of pain behind her. Turning around, she saw Ravio suspended in air behind her like he was hung up by shackles. He was unconscious, but she knew he was in pain. Trying to get to him, she couldn't feel the magical barrier surrounding him. She resorted to pounding on the barrier and screaming out his name, which did eventually wake him.<p>

"Ugh, what…where am I?" Ravio said half moaning. "I'm not sure." The princess replied. Ravio looked up noticing his companion for the first time, "Get out of here, He'll capture you too, GO! RUN!" He screamed at her. "Why should I leave you, who will get me?" She replied curiously. "Just get out of here, Princess. You're the kingdoms last hope, now RUN!" He screamed back at her. It was too late.

It started with a maniacal laughter, and then a voice said soothingly, "so you've finally come princess, or should I call you Goddess. Look at your little hero, he didn't put up that much of a fight." What are you talking about?" She said bitingly to the disembodied voice. "Look at the man in front of you." It countered.

For the first time, Hilda noticed that Ravio was looking at her desperately, noticing the despair in his eyes. It was so intense she had to look away. Looking at the rest of him, she noticed he was wearing the tunic that Link had been wearing except it was purple like that stupid rabbit suit he had adopted recently. For some strange reason, she felt that this look suited him more. Most importantly, she noticed the Lorulian Triforce shining on his right hand. The right triangle shining brighter than the other two. Also, she noticed he looked older than what she knew. He looked like a young adult, not the child she was use to. She couldn't help but say his name despairingly, causing him to just look up at her.

"Enough of this time wasting. I'm here for the Triforce, and to spill the blood of the Goddess. First, I'll see if I can break your oh so breakable spirit, cowardly hero." The voice brought Hilda back to reality. Upon this a shadowy form materialized next to Ravio, which reminded Hilda of Yuga but she knew that he was dead. "Who are you?" She asked the figure, who didn't reply to her. "Little hero, how about I take your body for my own and then you can kill your little princess. "No!" He replied curtly, and subsequently clamped his jaw shut like he knew what was coming. "Too Bad. I was hoping you would make this easy for me" The form said as what Hilda believed to be his hand started caressing Ravio's face, who tried to shrink away from the touch but couldn't due to the invisible shackles.

Hilda couldn't take it anymore and screamed at the figure to stop. Turning back to her, it simply replied, "Wait your turn." Turning back to Ravio it took its shadowy hand and forced Ravio's jaw open. After this his body went limp and the figure chuckled, and then stuck its hand down his throat. Becoming a full shadow it went fully into Ravio's body and took control of it. Before he lost consciousness, he screamed at the princess to run, but she was frozen with fear as tears streamed down her face. Suddenly, a sword materialized in Ravio's possessed hand and he brought it down to strike down the princess.

Time seemingly seemed to stop for the Princess as she knew what was coming, and as she braced herself for the inevitable strike a familiar voice had called out to her. "Princess, wake up. Wake up and find me in the dungeons of your castle." With that the voice was gone, but Hilda couldn't seem to wake up. As the sword was coming down to strike her down, she gave one last scream.

"NOOOOOO!" She screamed as she shot up in the bed she had fallen asleep in. With the sudden shock, Ravio and Sheerow fell off the bed in a pile of sheets and clothing. Looking up slowly, he surveyed the room to make sure there was no danger, because he would hide if there was. Noticing there was nothing he turned his attention to the princess, who at this point was silently sobbing her. "What's wrong?" He asked her as he tried to console her, but she pushed him away. Regaining her composure, she told him it was just a nightmare. Getting up she smoothed her now wrinkled clothing. She asked Ravio to follow her, and he complied.

After they had traveled through the halls a while, Ravio finally asked where they were going. She replied with the dungeon, and he looked at her questioningly. "Let's just say I have feeling there are people down there from when I wasn't my best." Understanding, Ravio silenced himself as they traveled farther down the castle to the less used parts. Arriving at the dungeons, Hilda told him that they would split up and search every cell.

After a while, Ravio came to the last cell and looked in. When he did, he saw a pair of blood red eyes, thus causing him to scream for the princess to come over. She rushed over knowing that Ravio had found the person she was looking for. Looking in the cell herself, she couldn't help but feel a flood of relief.

"Praia!?"

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><p><em>Well That was exciting wasn't it. Who was the shadowy figure, and who is Praia? All these questions and more will be answered, just have patience. Review if you liked it or if you want to help me make it better.<em>

_Yours Truly,_

_Hero of Lorule._


	3. New Goodbyes

_Hello, I know it's been over a week since I posted another chapter, but between Thanksgiving and the release of Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, I haven't had much chance to write. This is definitely the start of the longer chapters, so I hope you enjoy._

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><p>Upon seeing her old nursemaid, Hilda instantly released the shackles from Praia and sent Ravio to find bandages and water. After he was gone, the princess couldn't help herself and ran up to her old friend and embraced her. Reluctantly pushing her highness away, Praia knew what she had to do. Sighing deeply, she began.<p>

"Hilda, I am from an order you might have thought died out long ago called the Celans." Praia stated blandly, and kept going on seeing the princesses look of recognition. "Through the years, we have had prophecies handed down of when our Triforce was regained, which I believe has been done since you are here. In these prophecies, it is stated that the hero of legend will have to rebuild his spirit over seven years and countless trials. The one condition is that he must be away from the love he desperately seeks. If he fails to rebuild his spirit, the ancient demon Chaos will claim the power of the Triforce as he attempted to many generations ago."

"What are you saying?"

"First, an ancient evil has been reawakened with the Triforce, but as of now is still weak and he must regain his power. You already worked with the incarnation of his anger, Yuga."

"So we have to fight Yuga, again?" The princess looked at her nursemaid dejectedly, "but we don't have a hero anymore. Our only hope would be Link, and he is safely in Hyrule."

"That is not the hero I speak of, the one I speak of is here. His spirit has been reincarnated for what might be the last time. When our ancestors destroyed the Triforce, they also destroyed the spirit of the Hero, but with its last magic it sent out one last reincarnation in the hopes to restore the spirit of the Hero. He is the only hope to save the land from this ancient evil."

"But who is the hero?"

"You already know who it is."

"But…But it can't be. He left when Lorule needed him most. He left when I needed him most! How can you expect him to save anyone?" She despairingly yelled at her letting out the hurt of all the past days of what she had done and the one she had pushed away.

"Princess, but look at what he did do. He left Lorule to save it by finding the hero of Hyrule, his own counterpart. He had enough courage to jump into the unknown and leave his home possibly forever to save it."

"But, what about the one condition you talked about. He left once and I could barely console myself; I don't want to lose him again." She started sobbing, after all the good news she had had the past day seemed to be all washed away. Taking the child in her arms, Praia did nothing but console her. Lifting the princess up, the nursemaid started to lead her old charge out of the dank and depressing dungeon. Thinking to herself, Praia was thankful Ravio would never hear any of this, he must not know why he must be sent away, but one day he would be returned to his princess. Coming to the first sunlit corridor, she pried the silent princess away from her.

"Princess, there is more." The princess just stared blankly back and Praia continued. "Seven years from now when you and Ravio are twenty, the ancient demon will rise again. The hero must be ready by than or Lorule will surely fall. You must make a choice: send him away to be put on trial by trial by trial or keep him by your side where he will surely perish. You do not have to make the choice today, but you have within three sunrises to make your choice. I am truly sorry, but there is no other choice."

Unable to even comprehend what was going on, the princess hiked up her skirt and just started to run. She didn't care where and her aimless journey came to a halt when she ended up below the sparkling triangles that were so new to her but felt so familiar. Looking up at them she remembered the myth her mother had told her of how one would be able to make one wish upon the Triforce if they were ever able to reach it. Partially wanting to stop the whole thing before it started, she started to reach out to the soft light but then stopped. For the first time, she noticed a glow coming from her own hand and took her glove off. There upon her right hand was a faint outline of the Triforce, reacting with its source. To Hilda, something was off about it. Unlike her Hyrulian counterpart, there was not a single triangle filled in. Curious, she just stared at her hand without moving.

Ravio just stood there as Hilda ran past him with tears streaming down her face. Before he could turn to go, he noticed the condition Praia was in and went to attend to her first. With no personal strength left, the weary nursemaid finally crumpled to the ground. Luckily, Ravio was right by her side patching up her wounds and having her sip the water he had found. Using the wall to brace her, Praia lifted herself up into a sitting position to look at the boy before her.

"O Ravio, I wish I could say the trials before you will be easy, but sadly your eternal spirit is broken and must be repaired if Lorule is to live. Please know that whatever happens to you in the future, you must never lose hope. If you lose hope all will be lost and Lorule will descend into darkness." Praia bluntly told him.

"What are you talking about? Eternal spirits, broken Lorule. Just look out the window the future is looking more hopeful than ever." He replied cheerfully.

"Keep that optimism, it'll help you in the future. You must have felt the resonance with Link when you are around him. You are his Lorulian counterpart after all, do you have any idea what that makes you."

"I'm no hero, I'm a coward! I left Lorule in its time of need to find someone who could help. I could do nothing. I couldn't even save Hilda, what kind of hero does that make me."

"The bravest one in Lorule, but you must reclaim who you were in order to be the man you need to be."

"What are you talking about?"

"The hero spirit that resides in you is fractured right now. If you do not heal it, you will be the last incarnation of the hero. Without you, the land will be conquered by evil forever. You must be tried and tested to reclaim that spirit. Reclaim the right to bear the Triforce of courage."

"No, that's not me. You must have me mixed up with someone else. I'm not the hero; I am a coward, the very absence of courage. You expect me to face these trials you speak of. How can I do that when I can't even look at a spider without starting to back away from it? I don't believe you!

Unable to handle the truth before him Ravio turned and ran away just as Hilda had done. Screaming after him to wait, Praia was helpless to move anymore with her wounds. She regretted she was not able to tell him where he must first go; she prayed that she would get the chance to. She knew that as much as Hilda hated the idea of send Ravio away, Praia knew that Hilda would put the fate of the kingdom above her own happiness. Little did Hilda know that the blood of the Goddess and the spirit of the Hero could never be separated. They would always be able to keep each other in their hearts, but the path the Hero must trod now is the one alone like his ancestor did. Except this time, he would not be chasing after Hilda, he would be chasing after himself.

Ravio ran until he eventually found Hilda, who he knew was the only one who would be able to comfort him and during his running had remembered she too had run away from Praia. He wondered if she too found out things that she had never wanted to know. Almost reaching her, he paused and just admired her. The way her violet hair cascaded down her back, he might have only been thirteen but he understood his feelings for her perfectly. No matter what, she would be _his_ princess. Finally, he stepped up to her and tapped on her shoulder. Hilda turned around and noticed who it was and the tears started up again. She lunged at Ravio and held onto him as she sobbed into his purple bunny suit. Ravio, not sure what to do in this situation, just held her and tried his best to comfort her.

After sometime, Hilda's tears had run out again and she was able to tear her away from the shoulder she didn't want to. Looking up into his emerald eyes, she realized why the things she had heard from Praia hurt so much. She didn't want to lose him again, not after she had thought he had betrayed her until yesterday. Then she realized she had forgotten Praia and pushed Ravio away.

"Where's Praia?"

"Still in that hallway."

"You left her in that hallway?"

"I took care of her wounds, but then she tried to tell me lies and I just couldn't take it anymore, so I found you and then…"

"You nincompoop. You just left her there." She cut him off.

"I…uh…but"

"Come on, let's at least get her in a bed."

So the two raced back to where they had both left Praia lying. Upon finding her, they tried to lift her up but she refused both of their help. Instead she motioned for Ravio to come over and for Hilda to leave them. Praia knew she had very little time left and very crucial information she had to tell both of them that the other could not know. She explained to Ravio that he had to go to skull woods and find the goddess sword. He would meet someone who would help him with his journey there. With that, she sent him to go get Hilda. When the princess arrived, she again apologized for the fate that the princess would face, but she needed to go to Thieves' Town in three days after she sent Ravio away, and there she told her the truth of how long her separation from Ravio must be. Seven years. Hilda had to avoid Ravio at all costs for seven long years, and it broke her heart. As her heart was wrenched in two, Hilda made the decision that Praia knew the princess would make. Praia made it clear that in Thieves' Town the princess would find a person to guide her and prepare her for the inevitable battle with the demon Chaos. The last thing she ever said to the Princess was that Ravio must not know about this until after all this over. Promising her old nursemaid that everything would be as she asked as it was not her place to question the goddesses, she watched as Praia laid her head down and vanished in a flash of light. Just as the Princess had gotten her oldest friend back, Praia was gone once more. Tears started falling from Hilda's eyes even though she had thought she had spent them all up. She got up and went to face her torturous fate.

Returning to Ravio, he looked at her and he knew that Praia was no longer here. He was still troubled by what she had told him just a few minutes ago, but all he cared about was the princess. As he tried to embrace her once again, she pushed him. Confused, he just looked at her and saw the hurt in her eyes and it cut him deeper than any wound ever had. He didn't know what was happening but he wanted it all to stop as did Hilda but she knew what she had to do. This couldn't wait, but she wished she could keep her friend to comfort her from Praia's death, but she wouldn't be able to send him away in three days. It had to be now.

"Ravio, I hereby banish you from Lorule castle. You may never return until I decree that you may." Hilda said coldly to her love.

"But, princess…."

"No questioning your princess! Go and leave now." She cut him off.

With a mocking salute, "as you wish, your highness."

With that, he turned to leave the castle for what would seem forever to Hilda, but before he left he looked one last time into her crimson eyes. Seeing the hurt in his eyes, she couldn't handle it and turned away as he stalked out of the castle. Once his footsteps finally faded, she turned back to look longingly at the door he had exited hoping he would come back, but she knew he wouldn't. She had never used her royal position to ever give commands to Ravio; he had always done what he thought best for her. It hurt her more to use her position on Ravio than Praia's death did and it had all happened at once. The thing that had hurt the most was the mocking salute he had given her, but she knew that he would never be able to find out why she sent him away until his destiny was fulfilled. With that she just crumpled up into a ball and let the sorrow wash over her with no one to comfort her.

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><p><em>Well, that was an emotionally charged chapter, and there is a lot to come that you will just have to stay tuned to find out what it is. As always, I do not own the Legend of Zelda and reviews are always welcome.<em>

_Yours Truly,_

_Hero of Lorule_


	4. Lost

_Well here we are again loyal readers. I am happy that this story is starting to get more support because it is giving me more motivation to write it. I hope you will keep reading. Enjoy the next installment._

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><p>Ravio had no feeling as he slowed down as he came to the entrance hall of the castle. Without turning back, he guiltily exited the castle, and kept walking in a straight line. At that point, he didn't care where he ended up at that point. As he looked at it, Praia had probably told some lie about him that Hilda had believed and she was so disgusted with him that she never wanted to see him again. She knew that what Praia said about Link and himself being counterparts was true, but he couldn't even bring himself to think that he actually was the bearer of the Triforce of Courage or whatever he was at that point. All he cared about at that point was that Hilda had actually used her royal power to banish him, not once in all the time that they knew each other did she ever use the royal power on him. Even when Yuga was clouding her judgment, he left voluntarily when she wouldn't listen to reason.<p>

As he looked over Lorule field, he noticed how hot the sun was beating down on his skin. The scarf and bunny suit he was wearing were getting awfully warm. When he was in Hyrule, Ravio stayed in Link's house and let Sheerow do all the gathering for him. With the pain in his heart and the lack of sustenance, he began to sway as he walked losing energy with each step he took. Due to not eating since he left Hyrule, he collapsed near the blacksmith's house. Luckily, Sheerow had woken up from his nap and had flown out from underneath Ravio's bunny hat. Seeing his friend in such a state, he started flapping around frantically and seeing the blacksmith's house he flew at the door desperately.

Ravio woke up in a wooded meadow with a stone pedestal, and sticking out of it was a sword that looked like the one Link had gained halfway through his journey. He remembered on one of the blonde-haired boy's visit he said it was called the master sword. But something was different about it, the hilt was a green like the one he had seen on Link's tunic and not purple like it was on the sword. Pulling him out of his revelry was a rustling he heard behind him and a maniacal laughter that he felt like he recognized from some deep memory. Turning around, he saw a man about double his size, thick and muscular with reddish-purple hair that slightly reminded him of Yuga, but the man was dead.

"Hero, you have two choices: either you can die and I will leave Lorule in peace or you can try to fight me and then I will burn Lorule down to a crisp after I utterly destroy you. The choice is yours." The voice seemed to send shivers down Ravio's spine and froze him in place.

"But what did I ever do, I don't even know who you are?"

"I guess you wouldn't, it has been millenniums since your ancestors have seen me in my original form. You're more use to what would be a watered down version of myself. I guess you called him Yuga."

That hit Ravio hard, he had seen Link kill Yuga, but here was someone claiming to be his ancestor. He was entirely confused and scared because he was all alone. No one would come to save him. He looked up and saw the Yuga look alike tying a noose for what was Ravio's throat. The grayish-skinned man just look at Ravio as he threw the rope over a branch directly above the blade that had imprisoned his full essence for so long. He chuckled to himself as he motioned for the hero to come over to him. Ravio had no fight in him whatsoever, he resigned to his fate walked up to the man. The man fitted the noose around Ravio's neck and whispered that he would burn Lorule to a crisp anyway and he was sacrificing himself for nothing. With that, he began pulling the rope higher and higher and with his last thoughts before he blacked out he wished he could see Hilda one more time.

Next, he woke up and he was there in front of Hilda like he had been earlier that day when he banished her, but this time it felt like when he left when Hilda was still under Yuga's influence. It scared him to see her this way. This time she had a look of rage and hatred on her face. He looked up at her and that was his mistake. When she met his eyes, she exploded.

"GET OUT! OUT, OUT, OUT! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT! OUT AND NEVER COME BACK!"

Ravio woke up sobbing, the second dream had hurt even more than the feeling of the noose getting tighter on his throat. He didn't even know where he was but he felt like he was on a bed, but didn't really care as he let out all of the emotions he had been holding in. Eventually a voice that Ravio recognized broke him out of his state.

"Get up, it won't be good for the bed for you to get it all wet with those damn tears."

Ravio looked up to see the beet red face of the blacksmith, who used to be his master when he was in training to become a blacksmith. It was weird to think that the last time he was here preparing to confront the princess on her plan with Yuga. As much as the blacksmith kept saying he never had a kid, Ravio had come to look on him as a father figure for him. Before he met the blacksmith, Ravio only had Sheerow to rely on.

"Hey, Boss," was all he could say as he was trying to control his tears.

"Kid, you cry too easily need to toughen up." The man replied.

Ravio chuckled as he wiped the tears away; he knew it was the man's way of showing he cared. Looking up he noticed, the fire was out on the smithy for the day.

"How late is it?"

"Just around sundown, been out since yesterday though."

"Yesterday, I gotta go."

Ravio tried to get up, but collapsed back onto the bed immediately. Sitting back up, he realized how weak he was. Then it hit him that he hadn't eaten anything for a few days now. On cue, the smith's wife walked in with a steaming plate of food.

"Looks like the runaway is up again," she set the plate before Ravio who ate it eagerly. "Where have you been the last two months anyway?" In between bites and gulps of water, Ravio tried to come up with a story, but couldn't come up with anything so he just resigned to being quiet.

"It's not really that important, it's the second time we had to take care of a collapsed kid?" The wife dismissed Ravio.

"What are you talking about?"

"About two weeks ago, a kid with blonde hair and a fancy sword was collapsed in front of the house like you were." She replied. "Actually the kid kinda looked like you too, but you know the blonde hair."

"That's…uh…a friend of mine" he stammered out. With that, he thanked the couple for their hospitality and rushed out of there. He knew he couldn't tell people about the truth of Link or Hyrule. They couldn't know that the Triforce was back. The whole reason it had been destroyed generations ago was that the people had fought over its power in a vicious civil war. The knowledge of the Triforce had to be kept secret as long as possible. Especially if some demon lord was coming back to try and take its power. After rushing out of the house, Ravio started making his ways towards the Skull woods, but one problem occurred to him. How was he supposed to get across the giant chasms between all the sections of Lorule?

Ravio kept walking with Sheerow for what seemed hours expecting to get to the chasm, but he never reached it. Eventually, he spied in the distance what looked like trees. Impossible was all Ravio could think of as he got closer and noticed that it was in fact trees. He had never seen so many in one place seeing as he never had actually been to Skull Woods. The only reason he had known where they were was the map he had seen in the castle. He didn't expect it to be so dense and dark.

"Should have brought a lantern, huh buddy" as Sheerow hid in his cap again. Sheerow never liked to go into really dark places except for under Ravio's bunny hat. Ravio nervously looked at the woods again. Really not wanting to go in there, he reluctantly started to creep over to the woods. Slowly getting farther and farther into the woods, he kept looking behind himself feeling that he was being watched. Once deep in the woods, Ravio found he was completely loss, seeing as Praia had not informed him on where to go once he got to the woods.

"Hehehe" a voice broke the silence that Ravio found himself in.

"Who's there?"

"Hehehehe, I wanna play a game. Try and find me." The voice replied.

Ravio just kept walking, he was not going to play any games with some disembodied voice. Still not sure what he was looking for he looked for some kind of path through the woods, but the trees were not close enough together for there to be a semblance of a path. You could walk freely through any of the trees. After he had traversed the forest for what seemed like hours he saw a light up ahead. Warily he crept over to the light and peering from behind a tree he saw what looked like ruins. Popping up in front of him was a little creature that looked to have a skull for a face.

"AHHHHHHH," Ravio couldn't helped but scream at the sudden appearance of another person.

"Hehehe, you found me, now it's time to play."

"I'm not playing with anyone. You freak me out."

"That's no fun, Link would always play with me. You remind me of Link."

"I get that a lot, but I'm not playing with you."

"But if you don't play with me, you never get to get the magic sword."

"What sword?"

"The one that's behind that wall. I put it there, so people always have to play with me if they come here. Hehehehe."

"What game do I have to play?"

"Hide and Seek."

Ravio reluctantly agreed to the game. And after searching for hours, he finally found that kid again and with that the kid brought him back to the ruins and disappeared.

"That was fun, come play with me again sometime. Hehehe."

"I really hate that kid."

"Looking up, he noticed that the wall was gone and he could now trek further into the forest. With no choice, he entered the sacred structure. There before him was a pedestal with an unadorned sword before him with a purple hilt. A voice inside him told him to go up and draw the sword, but all he did was stand there and look at it. He was thinking that this was Link's role, not his. He was a coward after all. After a few moments, Sheerow flew out of Ravio's hat, and started squawking wildly, and flying around the sword. Running up to the sword, just to get his friend to stop his squawking to stop; he felt a warmth rush through his body and looked down at his hand as the Triforce was beginning to glow. Something deep inside him, kept telling him over and over to draw the sword and bring his old friend back to him. Ravio found this weird since he was just looking at a piece of metal not a living being.

Sheerow looked at the boy curiously as he just stared at the sword. Knowing what he needed to do, he landed on the boy's hand and grabbed it with his two talons and placed it on the sword. Sheerow broke Ravio from his revelry, and he noticed where the bird had put his hand, and gripped it around the simple purple hilt. He pulled it out and a light began to surround it and overwhelmed the small boy. The last thing he heard before he fell unconscious was a voice saying, Master.

The old man had followed the boy into the forest knowing he had a great destiny that was just beginning. Keeping his distance so as not to scare the boy, he watched as he passed the forests test for him and gained access to the resting place of that ancient blade. This man was one of the few that knew of the whole history of Lorule, and watched as the boy hesitated and then pull the blade out of its eternal resting place. He saw the boy fall unconscious as the spirit of the sword jumped out of the blade once more awakened from her eternal sleep. He watched on as she wrapped her arms around the boy and they seem to collapse into themselves and then they were gone.

"Welcome Home, hero."

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><p><em>There I go again, adding more characters at the end of a chapter. As you can probably tell, I am pulling concepts from multiple Zelda games for this whole tale. As always, reviews are always welcome, and I do not own Legend of Zelda.<em>

_Sincerely,_

_Hero of Lorule _


	5. Spirit Plain

_Hello, every reader whether you follow the story or if you are new to this story, here is the next installment. I'm not even sure how long it is between each upload, but I hope it's not too long. I write the story as it comes to me, but I have the next few chapters already in my head rolling so they shouldn't take too long. Anyways, hope you all enjoy the next chapter._

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><p>"Wake Up, sleepyhead." A woman roused Ravio from his unconsciousness, "you never change do you?"<p>

"Five more minutes," He mumbled and rolled over to his other side.

"You need to get up now, hero." The woman replied

With the word hero, Ravio sat up and finally looked at the woman. The first thing he saw was the resemblance she had to Hilda, but a more mature version. The mature woman held out her hand to Ravio to help him up and he gladly took it. Once he was, he brushed himself off and then noticed his clothes had changed. Instead of his floor length tunic, it was now shortened to his mid-thigh level and he had white tights on. He had two leather belts, one around his waist where his Rupee belt had been and one going from his right shoulder to connect to the waist belt at his left hip and around his back to join with the shoulder again. Each of these belts held an assortment of pouches for various items. Instead of reasonable walking shoes, he now wore a pair of calf-high leather boots that oddly felt comfortable on his feet. Fearing his bunny hat was gone he ripped the head gear on his head off and to his dismay it was a purple version of Link's. He had seen enough of Link's to know the shape in a heartbeat.

Throwing it on the ground, he yelled at the woman "I'm not the hero you want me to be. I'm a simple coward."

The mature Hilda merely picked up the pointed cap and held it out to the distraught boy. Who, missing having anything on his head, took it reluctantly and put it into place.

"I know you are not the hero, but it is only for the time. Look around." She replied calmly.

Ravio did as she said and he noticed he was on a giant plain of green and in the distance there was an abrupt end to the plain and then darkness. Beyond the darkness, he saw a golden light that reminded him of the Triforce. Turning around he saw two more colors. To his right, was a blue plain floating in the darkness and in front of um was a red plain. Questioningly he looked back at the woman.

Seeing his look of confusion, she nodded in understanding. "You are in your spirit plain. This is what the state of the hero's spirit is in, it is fractured due to the destruction of the Triforce those many years ago. The hero's spirit was built from the three qualities of the Triforce and that is why you see it fractured into three plains. The one we are on is green for courage. The blue one is for wisdom, and the red one is for power."

"So what's the golden one behind us?"

"That is the hero's spirit of Hyrule. You two are connected enough that if you were able to be on your Spirit plains at the same time you would be able to communicate, but it is very dangerous to do. We do not know how it will affect Hyrule and Lorule, but that is not our main focus. You must focus on restoring your spirit to reflect Link's once again."

"Of course, I do because I'm suppose to be some hero like Link is. How long will it take you people to realize I am not a hero?"

"Why do you keep doubting yourself? Do you not see who you are meant to be?" The woman questioned him getting more irritated.

"No, I know who I am and a hero does not fall under that job description." Ravio turned away from her and looked longingly at the golden light in the distance wishing he could talk to his friend about this.

"You know, you are not so different from the hero I knew in my own time. He was just like you; he tried to convince me to not destroy the Triforce, but like my descendant, we both did not listen to our heroes who at that time were being the voice of reason even though that was the quality we were supposed to bear."

"Wait, who are you exactly," he turned back to her and looked at her confused once more.

"I am Queen Hilda, ancestor of the current Princess Hilda. You should know by now it is a tradition in the royal family for any first born female to be named Hilda. Also, the hero somehow is always inexplicably called Ravio. Well as you know there was a civil war at the time I destroyed the Triforce, and it was instigated as one named Yuga, yes a previous incarnation of the Yuga you knew. He was leading a revolt against the castle to get the Triforce in order to bring about the destruction of all that was good in the world, which I guess I helped him do in the end anyways. He was at the castle and most of the loyal guards had either fled or lost their life defending the castle. I could not risk any more lives so I pulled my hero into the sacred realm with me and I told him on what I planned to do, to destroy the Triforce so that there would never be another Civil War over the Holy power. He tried to convince me otherwise, but I would not listen otherwise. Seeing that his case was hopeless, he ran out of the sacred realm and threw himself into the thick of battle. I used my magic to spy on the battle and I saw my hero mowing down Yuga's army of monsters and sadly some of my citizens who had followed Yuga's promise of power, which he would never have actually shared. My hero fought all the way to Yuga, and challenged him to a one-on-one duel, which he ended up losing. The fight lasted for over an hour, but in the end Yuga resorted to using magic and gained the upper hand. I knew there was no other choice, I made the image of the battle fade from my view and turned back to the Triforce. I reached out and made my wish. As the Triforce slowly crumbled, Yuga barged into the sacred Realm. I turned to face him and informed him that he would never win. As the Triforce crumbled so did Yuga, his body decayed like the Triforce was doing. When the whole process was over all that was left was the stone tablet that you saw before the Triforce was restored. In the end, I know I should have listened to my hero."

Overwhelmed by her memories, Queen Hilda began to weep. Seeing this, the young boy went up to her and wrapped his arms around the woman. They stood there until the woman's tears were used up and she moved away from the boy as she wiped her eyes.

"I hate to put that all on you."

"It's alright, you remind me too much of Hilda to the point that it hurts."

"Why should it hurt," aren't you two on good terms? I was always on good terms with my hero even to the end. He tried to stop Yuga so that I wouldn't do anything I regret."

"She banished me," Ravio stated emotionlessly as he lowered his head, "she used a royal decree."

"Did you talk to anybody before she banished you?"

"Yes, we talked to her old nursemaid, Praia, who we freed from one of the cells in the dungeons. She was put in there by Yuga."

"The prophecy, dammit. I should have known that would have come into play. I'm sorry Ravio, you will not see Hilda for seven years and even if you do she will not be herself."

"Seven years!?"

"Yes, every incarnation of the Goddess Loria, protector of Lorule, has had prophetic powers. As I lay on my death bed, I gave one last prophecy. It stated that you, the hero, would have to rebuild your spirit from its fracturing at the destruction of the Triforce, and that part of the tempering would be that he would have to be away from the one he loved for seven years or Lorule would fall to Chaos."

"So, I have no choice in this."

"I'm afraid not."

"Then I'll do as you ask of me if it means it will help me see Hilda again."

"Very good, you must go through four trials set forth by the Goddesses to begin the process to heal the fractures of your spirit."

"Four?"

"Yes, you must perform a trial to unlock each of the qualities in the Triforce in yourself and then bring them together. Courage for the ability to face the paths you must take in the future. Wisdom to take the right path. Power to conquer the enemies you will face. The final trial will be one to use all the qualities you have awakened in yourself. Take solace in the fact that each trial will take a year each, so you will awake from your slumber in four years."

"Why will each one take a year?"

"It will not feel like a year to you; it'll probably feel like hours at the most, but you will be infused with all the experiences of your past lives and there are quite a few of those. It will take your physical body that time to cope with what is happening to your spirit."

"So, I'm in some sort of sleep?"

"You're body has been put to sleep while your consciousness resides in the spiritual plain. The spirit of the sword which was never meant to wake after she had fallen asleep in the master sword is watching over your body."

Was that the voice I heard before I fell asleep?"

"Yes, her name is Strix and she will be your physical guide. I am your spiritual guide as long as you are on this plain."

"Does that mean, you're a spirit?"

"Obviously, Ravio. I died many years ago. When I died, I was informed that I could never have eternal until I had helped the hero restore Lorule to peace once again. Do you not see, I need you to succeed?"

Hearing the desperation in her voice he turned to her again and got on one knee in front of her.

"Milady, I will do everything I can to assist you, I think I'm ready to perform my first trial."

"It gladdens me to hear that, where you go is a place that I will not be able to follow. You must perform the trial on your own to prove you may house the Triforce again. Behind you will see a blue light, when you are ready you will step into the light and you will be transported to a place known as the silent realm."

"What is that like?"

"I have never been myself, but from what I have heard it is wrought with dangers that will shatter a spirit if they prey upon it. You cannot fail, if you do the world is doomed."

"Thanks for the encouragement."

Know that I will be supporting you and praying for your safe return. When you have completed the task set before you, you will return to this plain and I will lead you to the next trial."

"I really don't have a choice do I?"

"I'm afraid not, you may go when you are ready."

Seeing as there would be no more destruction, Ravio reluctantly turned around and looked at the blue portal before him. It was somehow familiar to him even though he had never seen it before. Taking a breath to calm his nerves, He gave one last look at Queen Hilda with the biggest grin on his face. He stepped forward and let the light transport him to the first trial. The former queen watched as the boy was taken from her view to whatever the Goddesses had set for him.

Sighing deeply, "you don't realize how much you resemble my hero."

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><p><em>Well, it seems like things are starting to happen to Ravio, which he isn't necessarily happy about. Stayed tuned for what Ravio will be going through in the next few chapters as he overcomes each trial or will he, only time will tell. As always reviews are always welcome, and I'm loving that you guys are liking the story so far. I do not own the Legend of Zelda.<em>

_Until Next Time_

_Hero of Lorule _


	6. Courage

_Hello readers, I haven't updated in a while, but here is the next installment in Ravio's quest to find himself. If you ever played skyward sword you probably have figured out what the trials he going to be face are, but I'll have my own twist on them. Seeing as this would be the hero's second time facing these trials. I felt that the trials fit to start Ravio out on his journey, yes it's only the beginning of the journey. Anyways, I know that people are finding the story interesting, so I hope you all enjoy and I don't own the Legend of Zelda._

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><p>When Ravio awoke, he found himself surrounded by a circle of blue light and he was in a strange clearing. All around him were statues, and tear shaped gems floating all around the area. To his dismay, Ravio was still wearing the hero's clothing, and he felt uneasy about this place. It felt too peaceful to him and he knew something would happen soon enough. Little did he know, the deepest part of his spirit was beginning to stir since this was where the original hero was tested for the right to the power of the Triforce. A voice broke the silence which caused Ravio to almost jump out of the blue circle.<p>

"Master, you are in the first Silent Realm. The Silent Realm was created long ago by the Goddess Loria as one of the test of her chosen hero. In total there are three Silent Realms that you will have to go through. In these realms, you must collect the tears of the Goddess, the first one for Farore, the second one for Nayru, and the last one for Din. The realms are guarded by sentinel beings that will wake up when you exit the protective circle until you grab a tear and then they will return to their dormant state for ninety seconds. If you are caught by a guardian you will have to start the test over, and the test will not be completed until you return to this spot with all fifteen tears." The voice told him soothingly.

"Who are you?" Ravio asked the voice as he couldn't believe that he was talking to a voice now.

"Who I am is not important unless you finish all of your tests, but you will meet me when you are done. If you truly wish to know who I am, look deep inside yourself to all of your past lives and you will know that I was always there with you." The voice said cryptically.

"What is that supposed to me?"

"You'll find out, but one thing before I go: watch out for the pools of water and the ghost-like figures you will see. They will wake up the guardians instantly. Good luck master."

With that the voice was gone and Ravio was all alone once again. Before he began to move, a glow began to form on his chest, and an object slowly emerged. It looked like a grape vine with clear grapes on it. Ravio figured this was where he was supposed to put the tears into when he got each one. With that Ravio knew he shouldn't waste any time at all until he saw the first tear right in front of a guardian.

"Oh man, just my luck." Ravio said to himself, "well here goes nothing."

Ravio slowly stepped out of the circle, and that's when everything got crazy. The peaceful, ambient azure lighting turned to a harsh light red. The guardians gained a glow to their eyes and began looking for the one that had disturbed their slumber. All locked eyes on Ravio, and began to chase after him. At first, he was too petrified to even move until his survival sense kicked in and he ran back to the protective circle. Once he entered it, the entire area returned to normal and the guardians returned to their normal positions.

"No, this is just insane. I'm going to die before I even get one tear." Ravio ranted to himself. "There is no way I can even get the first tear without those things getting me."

Ravio sat down in the circle halfway giving up until he remembered the promise he had made to the Older Hilda. Not wanting to break his promise, he looked at the first tear again, and started formulating a very risky plan. Getting his body in a runner's stance, he mentally prepared himself to run like hell to get the first tear before the guardians got him. After taking many deep breaths, he dashed. Just like last time, the entire placed went into defense mode, but Ravio was barely quick enough. Just as he grabbed the tear, Ravio looked up to see a guardian with its giant scythe mere inches away from his throat, but in the blink of an eye everything went back to its peaceful atmosphere.

"That was way too close, see everything is going to kill me. Why did I have to be some great hero, I just wanted to retire with all the rupees I got from Link." Ravio sighed to himself as he noticed the flower that had opened on the top of the vessels. "This must be the timer, until those insane guardians come to kill me again."

Not wasting anytime, Ravio looked around for the next tear. Seeing it up a set of stairs, he ran for it, but didn't notice the watcher that had spotted him. Giving an ear piercing scream, the watcher disappeared and everything woke up again. Wasting no time, he ran to the next tear, but before he could reach it he was surrounded by land guardians. All at once they raised their clubs, and struck the boy. Before he could feel any pain he found himself back at the blue circle and the vessel was empty.

"Oh, come on. You mean I have to start over!?" He screamed at the empty air, "can't you just have someone else be the hero. I'm not cut out for this stuff. I'm just a merchant."

No reply came, and Ravio sighed knew there was no getting out of this now. He was just going to have to be smarter about this. Since the running strategy worked with the first tear, Ravio prepped himself and ran at the tear again. Just as he expected he got the tear with no problem, but paused as he saw the second tear. Looking around he noticed the watcher this time, and looked at the pattern the watcher patrolled in. It wasn't too hard, it floated back and forth between two spots. Ravio inched closer, and when the watcher was at its farthest point ran to the tear which he successfully got. Not knowing where to go next, Ravio moved forward which was actually just down the other side of the staircase, and then saw a shiny fruit. When he picked it up, green beams flew into the air. Running towards the closest one he found the next tear. With three tears in his possession his confidence was beginning to build, and the stirring he felt was beginning to get stronger. The boy brushed it off as the green beams disappeared but luckily he found another one and they reappeared. The next one wasn't so easy to get. It was surrounded by a moat, with a log on one side of the moat guarded by another watcher. Forgetting the warning about the water, Ravio decided to skip the route with the watcher entirely. The moment he touched the water everything went back into hyperactive mode. Advantageously, the moat was only ankle deep and Ravio reached the tear before the guardians could even reach him.

"I have to remember what that voice told me, be careful of the water." Ravio scolded himself, "I already have four tears, and I don't want to have to start over."

With that Ravio used the log, and narrowly avoided the watcher. The next four tears he was able to get with no problem. The ninth one that he saw was up in the tree above him across from a tightrope. Climbing up was the easy part. Ravio began to cross the tightrope, and then looked down. He never enjoyed heights so it disoriented him. Shakily, he was able to keep his resolve and stay on the tightrope, but he did become unbalance. He fell off but was able to catch himself before he fell off. He was able to pull himself up, but then a ticking noise began to go off. Knowing it wasn't a good thing, Ravio pulled out the vessel as he kept his balance on the taut rope. Looking down at the flower on the top was almost completely black, Ravio rushed across the rope and nearly fell off, but was able to keep his balance and grabbed the edge of the platform. Just as the timer ran out and the place went haywire again, Ravio pulled himself up and grabbed the tear before any of the guardians had a chance to even see where he was.

"That was way too close. I really need to keep track of the time limit." Ravio mused to himself, partially getting used to just talking to himself.

He knew he had to get out of the silent realm quickly. The deafening silence, whenever the guardians weren't chasing him, was driving him insane. Luckily no other issues came up for the young teen as he grabbed the final tears. Looking down at the vessel, he noticed the flower stopped ticking, but the guardians had not moved. He took that to signify that he wouldn't have a timer to get back to the protective circle. Leisurely taking his time with a different route than he had come down. Ravio failed to notice the pool of water that was ebbing towards him. He paused for a moment to reorient himself. The moment he felt the water on his boots, he knew he was in trouble. Without even waiting for the place to go haywire he began to ran. Finally breaking through the last line of trees he saw the circle in front of him and a bunch of guardians running towards him and he heard the garish footsteps of more guardians behind him. Without a second thought he ran for the circle and slid under the scythes of two floating guardians into the protective circle. The moment his entire body was in the circle everything went back to normal and the vessel now full of tears floated up. When it cleared Ravio's head it exploded and in its place was a bow and arrow. He quickly grabbed the bow and arrow as the light surrounded him to take him back to the original area.

When he walked out of the light, He noticed that he was back where he started but instead of the platform being green it was now golden. Looking around, he didn't see the older Hilda around, but did notice a figure walking towards him. As it got closer, he noticed the figure was wearing the same clothing he was. When the figure was right in front of Ravio, he gasped because to Ravio it was like looking at an older version of himself.

"Good job, you were able to pass the first trial. You have two more left." The figure said in a deep voice. Indicating the bow, "you can put that away in one of the pouches, they are magic so everything will shrink to fit inside the multiple pouches. It will become extremely handy in your quest."

"Who are you, and what quest are you talking about?" Ravio asked the man who looked to be in his twenties as he did as the man instructed.

"As for your first question, you can call me your great, great-grandfather. I am the very first hero chosen by the Goddess Loria herself when she walked the world as a goddess. I am your very first incarnation." The older Ravio replied. "As for your second question, I will not be the one to answer that question.

"Then why are you here?" Ravio asked nonchalantly, he was becoming used to all the weird stuff.

"I am here to teach you a sacred skill of the sword that you will need to defeat the Demon Master." It is called the mortal draw." The voice answered as made two sheathed swords appear in his hands that looked like the ones that Ravio had pulled from the stone earlier that day.

Taking the sword, Ravio strapped it on his back like he had seen Link wear his sheath. The blade fit perfectly and Ravio looked quizzically behind him as he felt a connection to the sword. The older Ravio noticed this and smirked at his younger counterpart.

"You're warrior sense is awakening. The pieces of your past lives: their experiences and knowledge is slowly fusing with you." The older Ravio told his younger counterpart.

"What do you mean? That I'll no longer be myself?" He asked a little frightened.

"You will still be you, but all the battles you have experienced will be infused into your subconscious." The older one calmed his younger self.

Indicating it was time to demonstrate the technique, the older Ravio faced the younger one and made a moblin appear in front of him. Allowing the moblin to get extremely close to him, the older one drew the blade deftly and swiftly dispatched the easy target. With a snap anther moblin appeared moving towards the younger, who performed the technique as easily as his older counterpart had done. With the moblin gone, the older Ravio nodded in admiration and indicated that Ravio had learned the skill successfully.

"I didn't think that you would pick up the skill so rapidly for the sole reason that you have not fully awakened your hero spirit. You still have two more trials before you return to Lorule." The hero spoke in admiration.

"Great, Great-Grandpa, how did you become the hero anyways? Why were you chosen out of all people to be the hero? I never wanted this mantle; I was content to retire with all the rupees I had gained through my travels." Ravio looked at the older version expectantly.

"Alright, I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you the story." The older one nodded at the older one.

The older one told his tale as the younger one sat in rapture at the older ones story. Usually, Ravio despised these kinds of stories, but with his hero's spirit returning he was starting to become a little bit more like his ancestors. The part that disturbed Ravio was that his older counterpart had died and never defeated the demon king. This was the second tale he had heard about his past lives that had ended in death for the hero. The hero was having the sense of giving up on the whole thing again but he made a promise to Queen Hilda to free her spirit, and Goddesses be damned if he didn't live up to that promise, Despite all that, the tales of his past lives dying disturbed him because of the first dream he had after Hilda had banished him. The older version noticed this and reassured him.

"I see the doubt you are having but whatever you do, do not give into that doubt. Especially with the enemy you are facing, doubt will kill you way before your enemy has a chance to." The older Ravio solemnly stated. "Goodbye grandson, may we meet again after you have lived a long and prosperous life."

With that, the man turned around and a door of glowing light appeared. The doors swung inward to reveal a woman who looked even more regal and radiant than Queen Hilda. The woman held her hand out to the hero who gladly took it and the doors shut as the couple walked into paradise together. The doors shut as quickly as they had appeared and disappeared before the young teen knew what had happened. With the doors gone, Queen Hilda had returned and indicated for Ravio to follow her. Pulling himself from his revelry about the woman, he followed Hilda's ancestor deciding he would ask about who the woman as they journeyed to the next trial.

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><p><em>Yeah, our hero did it. He's somewhat courageous now. Before any of you ask, the Ravio he meets is the one that would be the equivalent of the Link in the Skyward Sword Prequel Magna. If any of you ask me questions, I will try to answer them in a message or I'll incorporate the answer into the story. I'm enjoying all the reviews I'm getting so please keep reviewing. Next time little Ravio, may gain a little wisdom. Maybe it'll show him the advantage of waking up early or will he be doomed to the never ending sleeping in disease that plagues his Hyrulian counterpart. Only time will tell. Until Next Time<em>

_Yours Truly,_

_Hero of Lorule_


	7. Reason

_Hello Readers, I know uploading in the same week, that is not like me, but I just had to get this chapter typed out. As always, enjoy the chapter and I do not own the Legend of Zelda_

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><p>For a few moments, Ravio silently mulled over what he had just accomplished, and couldn't believe that he was able to actually overcome the first trial. It was something he thought Link would be able to do, but never him. He was the coward, the merchant. He ran away from Lorule when she needed him the most. He didn't fight Hilda to stay by her side when she banished him. Despite all that, he had actually accomplished a feat he thought he couldn't overcome. This brought a smile to the young teen's face. Seeing this, the older Queen Hilda visibly relaxed, she sensed that Ravio was actually starting to come to grips with the fact that he was the hero. Still in curiosity, Ravio broke the silence.<p>

"Queen Hilda, who was that woman who greeted my first ancestor?" He looked at the woman.

"Well, who do you think it was?" The queen asked back.

"Well, my ancestor did say that it was the first incarnation of the Goddess Loria, so was it the first Hilda." He remarked unsure of himself.

"You could say it was the first Hilda, but it was actually the Goddess Loria herself. When the demon master original planned to take the Triforce, Loria herself was still immortal and picked for herself a hero who had an unbreakable spirit. Who ended up being your first ancestor. He sadly was not able to defeat Chaos as you know, so the Goddess through off her immortal form to be born as a mortal alongside her hero." She explained to the teen.

With that question brought more, "so are all my ancestors stuck here until I restore my hero spirit?"

"Yes, and no. The three incarnations you will meet have already gone to be in perfect harmony with their Hildas in the realm beyond, but the three Goddesses called them back when the Triforce was destroyed. The Goddesses knew that the Triforce would be restored and that the hero would need to heal himself. The only exception to this was my hero, he has been stuck as have I until you free us. We will not see each other until we pass through the gate together." She said as her head drooped down.

"I'm sorry, I'm definitely going to get you free so you can be with your hero again." Ravio said with a new resolve flourishing inside of him.

"Thank you, Ravio," Hilda whispered as she kissed him on the cheek, "it looks like we are now at your next trial. I will see you when you return."

Ravio blushed from the kiss on his cheek but turned to face the familiar blue portal to hide it. He was only a young teen at that point so his hormones were just beginning to flow. Taking a deep breath, he walked confidently into the next trial.

Upon opening his eyes, he found himself in a similar blue circle as the first one but this time he was surrounded by snow and ice. Recognizing the place he knew he was in the dreaded swamp, but he didn't have time to worry about that because he saw a familiar sight of a guardian right in front of him. Breaking the silence the same voice as before spoke.

"Master, this is the beginning of your second trial. Like before you will have to find 15 tears of the Goddess."

"Just great, I didn't like the first one." He commented to the voice.

"That may be, but you will need to complete this quest in order to see her majesty again."

"She doesn't want to see me anymore, she said so herself." Ravio conceded as his resolve started to falter.

"You know it was only due to a prophecy that she made a decision." The voice scolded him.

"But how can I do it, I LOVE HER." HE shouted, realizing what he said he clasped his hand over his mouth when he realized what he said.

"More the reason to finish what you have started. You always love Hilda, I know because you have always confided in me. I am the spirit of your sword, I may have been asleep, but sometimes I was the only friend you had. Each incarnation of the hero has always loved deeply the incarnation of the Goddess. Your love is the one that transcends lifetimes." The voice reassured the hero.

"I'll try." Ravio shakily agreed.

"Good Luck, master" The voice disappeared.

"Here we go again" Ravio looked at the familiar situation.

Looking around he didn't see the closet tear until he looked up a little bit. The first tear was on a platform that he would have to run to the side to and then run up the ramp. Right next to the tear was a sky guardian. Planning very carefully, he ran out of the circle and waited for the usual scene change. Once the guardian was off the platform, he dashed up and grabbed the tear turning the scene back to one of serenity. Looking around, Ravio found the fruit he was looking for and grabbed it as he avoided the watchers. Heading off towards the next tear he failed to notice where he was going and fell into one of the marshy spots of the swamp. The moment his feet touched the slippery soil he started sinking in as the Earth tried to claim him. Grabbing onto a nearby vine he was able to barely pull himself onto solid ground again.

"Note to self, watch the ground too." Ravio calmed himself.

Taking note of what the ground looked like, he set off again. After barely going a few feet he heard the ticking of the final seconds of the countdown. Looking around frantically he could not find the next tear or another spirit fruit, so he resigned to his failure. With the last tick the guardians came to life and spotted Ravio instantly, rushing over they brought there blades down and he was back at the protective circle. Using the same strategy as before he got the first tear and continued on his way. Avoiding the sinking pits, he got to the second tear and saw a vine wall for him to climb up. Climbing up he saw the rest of the tears were all on the upper ledges of the swamp. At least up here he wouldn't have to worry about the sinking pits, but the problem was finding ways to the other platforms. Looking around he saw a bridge that was in tatters that connected to the other ledge, knowing this was his only hope he cautiously approached the bridge. Gingerly placing his weight onto the bridge, the old rope and boards began to sway from the pressure. Seeing as the bridge didn't break, he took his other foot from solid ground and put it in front of the other one. Slowly making his way across, he didn't hit any snags until halfway across the bridge. Due to the age of the bridge, the plank broke under his foot. Catching the rope he didn't fall all the way through and pulled himself back up. Not wasting any more time, he ran the rest of the way across the bridge and jumped as any planks broke under his foot. Luckily he made it to the other side without any serious injury, just a cut on his leg from when he had fallen through the board. Luckily he grabbed the next tear which was right after the bridge.

The remaining tears were easy, they mostly were out in the open on the upper part of the swamp area. Gaining fourteen tears, Ravio turned to look for the final tear. Grabbing a spirit fruit near him, he groaned as he saw that the last tear was on the other side of the swamp. Sighing, he turned himself around and rushed back to the bridge. Not wasting anytime he began his crossing of the bridge, making it three quarters of the bridge he heard the groan of the ropes holding the bridge up. Due to their age, they were beginning to fray under his weight and if he didn't get across soon he would go down with the bridge. With an even bigger burst of speed, Ravio made it to the other side just as he heard the snap of the rope breaking. Without looking back he knew the bridge was broken, and he had to get that last tear quickly or the challenge would become even more intense the next attempt. With the bridge gone, he wouldn't be able to get to where the majority of the tears were and he would be stuck in this Silent Realm. With that thought on his mind, he began racing towards where he saw the blue pillar of light. After running for a time, he had gotten back to where the challenge started and decided to take a breather on the blue circle.

Once he had regained his breath, he ran towards the beam of light again. Turning a corner, he could see the tear across one of the sinking pits. Dreadfully Ravio weighed his options, on one hand he could risk jumping it and getting the tear quickly or falling in the pit on the other hand he could try to find a way around and hope he didn't run out of the little precious time he had left. Due to be deep in thought, he failed to notice the ticking of the timer running out. He didn't notice it until it was too late. The quick paced tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick of the flower brought him out of his thoughts. Noticing it was too late, Ravio knew he only had one chance at this, and so he began to back up. As he was backing up to jump, the ticking stopped throwing the Silent realm into chaos. Hearing the clomping of the guardians he knew it was now or never. As he ran he noticed two guardians blocking his path on easier side. Madly dashing for it, he heard the whoosh of their clubs as they barely missed the teen. Putting all his momentum into his feet as he stepped right in front of the pit, he sailed over it. Laughing at the guardians he just dodged, he almost ran into another one. Side stepping the guardian, who happened to be right in front of the tear, he rolled underneath its scythe and right into the tear. Finishing off the roll, he almost ran into a watcher and backed up quickly. With that last danger out of the way, he slowly made his way around the pit. Looking at how long the path was, he knew he would have never made it to the last tear if he had not jumped over the sinking pit. Breathing a sigh of relief he made his way back to the starting point.

Entering the blue circle once more he knew he was safe. Taking a time to relax and object floated down to him like after the first trial. This time it was in the form of a shield. The shield resembled the one Link had carried. Except the Triforce was Lorulian and the bird like creature was green instead of red, and the objects rested on a dark orange background like you would see in a sunset. Once his hands touched the shield he was transported back to the real world and was greeted by another Ravio.

"Seems like you passed your second trial. Let me ask, did you have to jump over a sinking pit to get the last tear?" The older Ravio inquired.

"Yeah, how did you know that?" Ravio was confused.

"Bursting out laughing the older Ravio couldn't reply for a few moments, wiping his eyes "because I had to do the same thing when I did it."

"What" Ravio was shocked, "How did you do these too?"

"You see, these were designed for me to do, they were supposed to be a one use only type of thing, but I guess that didn't happen." The older one explained, "I am the first incarnation of your ancestors to deal with the Goddess in mortal form."

"Deal with?" Ravio raised his eyebrow.

"Well you see, Hilda could be quite stubborn at times and we had been childhood friends. We got use to each other's quirks." The old hero replied thoughtfully. "But I'm not here to relive old memories. I have to tell you the lore of how Lorule was created."

"Isn't it the same as how Hyrule was created?" Ravio questioned.

"Yes and no. First of all when the three great Goddesses came down they created the Land of Hyrule and left the Triforce. Knowing that it was possible to destroy the Triforce, they created the land of Lorule so if the Hylian Triforce was ever destroyed, it would be possible to restore it. The Great Goddesses knew that what happened to Lorule would happen to Hyrule if the Triforce was destroyed. The Goddesses put safeguards that kept the Lands separated unless one of the Triforces was destroyed. To guard the sacred relics, the Goddesses sent the twin sisters Hylia and Loria to be guardians of the respective lands. Knowing that they wouldn't be able to protect the Relic from demonic forces alone the two chose heroes from among their people and tempered their Spirits to be unbreakable. That it where our and Link's first ancestors come from. In the end, each could only seal the demonic force of their land away. Centuries passed until the Goddesses were both reborn as mortals, this set off a chain of event which eventually led to the destruction of the demons and so we thought."

"What do you mean, so we thought?" Ravio interrupted the tale not liking where it was going.

"Well, first you should know, that it was I that fought against the being known as Chaos." Looking at his younger self, the younger one nodded in understanding, seeing that his charge understood he continued. "After the battle, the spirit of the sword who had been a very helpful companion on my quest told me that she had confirmed the eradication of the demon and was absorbing the last remnants into the sword. After that I laid the sword to rest in its pedestal to begin her eternal rest. It seems that those last remaining remnants of the demon had somehow had remained alive during the centuries that the sword and the Triforce had remained."

"So, now he has found a way out and is regaining power." Ravio deduced.

"Very good, it seems that the virtue of Reason rubbed off well on you." The older one complimented.

"Wait, reason, I thought it was Wisdom." The younger looked quizzically.

"You are right there except wrong land, in Hyrule it is wisdom, in Lorule it is reason. Just as Link has courage, you have Valor, and Ganondorf has power in Link's realm, Yuga would have had might in this realm. The virtues are very similar to each other but they are slightly different for both realms. So remember, we have Valor, Reason, and Might." The older continued to teach.

"I get it, it's because they're synonymous." Ravio chimed in.

"Exactly." The older continued with the lore "The sword that you hold is reverted back to its original form, the goddess sword. When you have healed the fractures in your spirit, you must seek out the three sacred flames just as I have done in the past. Only then will you be able to seal the demon Master again. I must warn you though, because you will face him in battle. He will be the most difficult opponent you will face. Despite all that, never lose hope or love. If you lose those two things the battle will be hopeless."

"Tell me one thing, did you survive?" Ravio desperately implored his older self, hoping for at least one positive incarnation.

"I did, and then I was able to marry Hilda and we began the Kingdom of Lorule. Protect her above all, she is more important that you know." The older one imparted to the younger one.

"Sleepyhead, how long are you going to take." A third voice interrupted the serious talk.

Turning around, the two Ravios saw a very exuberant Hilda come bounding out of a similar glowing door like the one after the first trial. Bounding over to the older Ravio, she placed a peck on his cheek. The older Ravio blushed slightly and started sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. Hilda turned to the younger Ravio and looked him over.

"She loves you too." Hilda stated as she silenced the younger Ravio "just trust me on this, I've been talking with my daughter.

Letting out a youthful laugh, Hilda ran back to the door and turned back to the pair.

Aren't you coming?" She asked and waited.

Turning to his younger self, "I'm going to tell you Good Luck, and always know you're past selves are always with you" as he pointed at Ravio's heart." One more thing, when you see Strix, tell her that I say hi and that I miss her."

With that, he turned and joy his joyful partner and they walked through the door hand in hand, both with a smile on their face. The doors closed and there was a melancholy Queen Hilda. She had seen the two lovers and it reminded her of what she had lost, and made her wonder if she would ever see him again. It hurt to see that they all looked remarkably similar. Seeing the Queen Ravio bounded over to her with a new sense of duty to protect the land of Lorule, but also to get back to Hilda as soon as possible. With what the now gone Hilda had said, it gave Ravio all he needed to complete the final two trials that awaited him. Seeing the look of determination on his face, Queen Hilda motioned for Ravio to follow as she turned away from him. She didn't want him to see her silently crying because the look Ravio had on his face was one she was familiar with. It was one that her hero had often. It was the one she had seen as he ran off to fight Yuga's army all by himself as she decided to destroy the Triforce. It brought back painful memories once again. Ravio could tell the pain the Queen was in, but he knew that the best thing he could do for her was to get the last two trials done as quickly as possible.

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><p><em>This was a very lore filled chapter, and if you have any questions as to what my take on the creation of Lorule and its lore do not be afraid to private message me and I will gladly talk about it with you. The credit for the name change of the three Triforce virtues goes to PrincessZelda1468, who I have been able to talk a lot about the story with and we have bounced ideas off each other. I hope you all enjoyed a double dose of Rebirth this week and I do have to say the reception that the story is getting is pumping me up to write it faster, so please keep reviewing.<em>

_Until Next Time,_

_Hero of Lorule_


	8. Might I save You

_Hello readers, I hope you are all doing well. I am glad to bring you the next chapter of Rebirth. Next week, I will be starting college, so I may have to figure out a schedule to publish, or don't be surprised if my publishing of chapters is even more sporadic. In any case, I hope you enjoy, and as always I do not own the Legend of Zelda._

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><p>Leading me from the second golden triangle, Queen Hilda seemed deep in thought, and it allowed Ravio time to think of the things he had just been told about. How Chaos was supposed to be eradicated, but a small remnant had survived. He knew that the path ahead was going to be a tough one. Was he scared? Yes, but he had someone else to fight for. He had always had feelings for Hilda, even when they were children they had been the two closest friends. It only was recently that he had felt it growing deeper than just a friendship. He knew that now he would do whatever he had to in order to protect the princess. If she died, he would be losing part of himself and he could not let that happen. All this made the wound of separation that much more painful and obvious. He had to get to her as soon as he could, but he knew he still had years until he saw her again because of a prophecy.<p>

Wrapped in thought, he failed to notice that Queen Hilda had stopped and ran into her. Apologizing he saw why she had stopped, they had come to the third trial gate. For some reason, Ravio was filled with more trepidation towards this gate than the previous two. He brushed it off because he had already done two of these trials. Seeing he was a little bit stressed, Queen Hilda patted his shoulder reassuringly.

"You'll be fine, you've already completed two Trials." She told the boy, "but you have to know that you will not see me until the end once you enter this gate. The final trial is one that only you must go to on your own, and you will understand why when you are done. Good luck, hero"

With that, she disappeared in a flash of light, and Ravio was alone once again. Wasting no more time, he strode into the portal and found out why he had been filled with trepidation. Upon coming into the last trial, he found himself on Death Mountain, which was a vast icy tundra. Ravio hated the cold, and ice. Luckily, the tears were red so they were easily visible against the white background.

"Master, you are on the final trial." The voice returned once more.

"Final? I was told I had four trials to go through." Ravio retorted back.

"It is the final trial that is in my calculations. There may be a trial that you have to go through that I have not been given access to. If that is the case, you will need to figure out what to do alone. This final trial is just as the last ones, retrieve all the tears and return to the starting point. Good luck master, and I will see you soon." The voice finished and left again.

"Well I didn't get to tell her that her first master said Hi, I guess that will have to wait." Ravio commented to himself as he surveyed the area. "But of course it had to be ice, it couldn't be a tropical oasis or something like that."

After surveying the area, Ravio ran for the first tear he had, and slid right past it off a cliff. A few seconds later, he was back on the cliff by some unseen force, but the moment he got his bearings a guardian was upon him and sent him back to the beginning. Cursing to himself, he started off again, this time taking it a little bit slower and dragging his feet more. Using this method he was able to get the first tear. Looking down, he noticed that the area around where the tear had been was all ice, and he realized why he had slipped off before. Taking note to be more careful on this trial, he started off again.

The next four tears came pretty easy, they were all right in the path. The fifth one, not so much. It was across a giant bridge of ice. Carefully stepping on the ice, Ravio began the trek across, making it halfway he paused too long on one piece of the bridge and the ice cracked and he fell into the abyss. Finding himself back at the start of the bridge, he noticed he had enough time on the counter for one more attempt or he would have to start the trial over. One problem, the ice where he had fallen through was gone, but his fears were misplaced as the piece of the bridge reappeared. Taking in a deep breath, he made his way across the bridge but this time successfully. With the timer reset, he set off to find the other tears.

After finding the final tear, he made his way back to the portal. Stepping in the light a pair of silver shoulder guards and a dark forest green cape floated down to him. Grabbing the objects he was surrounded by light and transported to the now all golden field. Inwardly he was proud of himself, but he was worried about the last trial. Pulling him out of his thoughts was another figure walking towards him, Ravio knew it was another of his incarnations. As he got closer, Ravio noticed something about this incarnation. First of all, his tunic was torn and bloodied, and in the middle of his chest was a wound that seemed to be completely black, which seemed to almost pour darkness out of it. There was a scar covering his left eye, which kept it permanently closed. The good eye had a look of deep sorrow unlike the past two reincarnations. He stopped in front of Ravio and looked like he was sizing him up.

"You'll have to do," the man stated gruffly, "hurry up and put the rest of the uniform on."

Doing as he said Ravio asked curiously "what happened to you?"

"Death." The older one answered bluntly.

After finishing putting on the cape and shoulder guards, Ravio stared at the man in silence. Looking closer, he could see how similar he looked to this latest incarnation. They were about the same height and their hair had the same part on the right side. The older one finally broke the silence.

"You're probably wondering what your last trial is going to be." Seeing Ravio nod in agreement he finished coldly, "you have to duel me."

"What?" Is all Ravio could get out.

"Yes, you are going to have a duel to see if you have inherited all the skills of your past ancestors, but first I must tell you a tale. The tale of what caused me to die." The man silenced him.

"But I already know what happened." Ravio replied confused.

"No you don't!" The man yelled at his younger self. "You only know one half of the story."

"Oh," Ravio commented.

The older one took this as his cue. "As you know, I tried to convince Hilda not to destroy the Triforce, but my pleas were falling on deaf ears. That's when I decided that in order to stop her from doing something she regretted, I went to take care of the problem myself. I valiantly fought through all the monstrous army Yuga had summoned. Since I had fought everything Yuga had, I easily took the whole army out, or so I thought. With the army dispatched I turned my focus to the source of the monsters, Yuga himself. He put a magical barrier around the area so I couldn't escape until I died or defeated him. The fight was going well and I was gaining the upper hand, but then I noticed there were more monsters and they had made it to the castle. I realized that they could get to Hilda and I wasn't there to protect her Seeing this distraction, Yuga sliced me across my left eye. Leaving this" as he traced the scar on his eye.

"But you died, how do you have a scar?" Ravio interrupted.

"My spirit in this place takes the form of what my body looks like when I died." The older explained and continued his tale. "With my left eye taken out, I knew I had gained a giant blind spot, so I made sure to keep Yuga on my right side at all times, and I knew I had to end this fight quickly. Using up more of my energy than I should have, I began aggressively attacking Yuga, but it was to no avail. He blocked every attack, and bided his time until I was tired enough and knocked me back. I fell into the barrier he had created and I felt the energy surge into my body temporarily paralyzing me. Taking this opportunity, Yuga impaled his blade into my chest and it was all over. The hero was defeated."

"That's not how it's supposed to end, isn't good supposed to triumph over evil. Link was able to do it." Ravio practically screamed at the older one as his nervousness was beginning to return.

"Yes this is true," the older one replied calmly, "but Yuga did not get the Triforce. Hilda made the wish to destroy the Triforce as I lay dying."

"How did it feel knowing you had failed?" Ravio inquired nervously.

"You know, I don't regret not surviving. I had done everything I could have." The older one answered with deep sorrow. "My one regret is that I didn't get to see Hilda smile one last time. I couldn't make her happy. I wouldn't care if I was damned to this plain for the rest of my existence if I could see her smile one last time. The way her eyes would light up whenever she laughed. I miss it. It's the only thing that pains me even to this day."

The older one couldn't help but let a tear slide down from his good eye as he was lost in his memories. Ravio let him have his moments because he saw how much the older one had loved his Queen, and it made Ravio's thoughts turn to his Hilda. Through his discussions with his older selves, Ravio had realized how much he cared for Princess Hilda, and it made his heart ache knowing that she could be in who knows what danger.

The older one broke the silence. "You know, I never told her how I felt. There was a silent bond between us, but we never actually told each other that we loved the other. I never had the courage to, but I think you do. Please, do not let the chance pass you by, tell her how you feel. Try to have the courage that I couldn't have"

Ravio was a little surprised by the outburst from the older one. He seemed a little cold and detached from his emotions. Now here he was almost on his knees. Thinking to himself that he would have to follow this advice, he nodded to his older self. The older one took this to indicate that his younger counterpart would follow his advice, and it made him smile.

"The time for talk is over, are you ready for your last trial?" The older one returned to his stoic self.

"Yes," Ravio replied simply.

Taking a few step backs, the older one made a sword and shield appear. On cue, Ravio pulled out the Goddess Sword and the Lorulian shield, and faced his opponent. The two took a few seconds to watch each other, and then the duel began. They swung at each other and blocked each strike successfully. The duel looked more like a dance than a battle for each strike a block was up to defend it, and a counterstrike soon followed. Ravio parried a block and rolled to get a back trike in, but the older Ravio blocked behind his back, and quickly turned to face his opponent keeping the blades in contact. The battle kept going in this fashion for what seemed ages, but neither party could get a strike to hit the other. They knew each other's fighting style inside out since they were of the same spirit. Ravio noticed this and he needed to figure out how to defeat his opponent quickly. Going on a defensive, he mentally went through everything he was told by Queen Hilda and his three incarnations. Finally realizing what he needed to do, he went in for a strike on the older Ravio's side which the older version blocked it, and Ravio used this to bring his blade in close to his body as he pushed the older ones towards its owner. With the two faces merely inches apart, Ravio used all his force to push his opponent back and sheathed his weapon and shield.

Placing his hands up, he yelled "Stop!"

The older one looked confused. "You can't just stop a fight like that. What is it?"

"Don't you see, this is all wrong?" Ravio told the older one.

The older one was confused. He looked at the younger one with a questioning look, but on the inside he was hopeful. He hoped that he had figured out the secret of the last trial, it wasn't about the duel at all.

Seeing the older ones look, Ravio continued. "Where missing someone important to the battle. In the other incarnations I've met, they always had their Hilda behind them, but you don't. When you went to battle Yuga you were on your own, you did it so Hilda would make a decision she wouldn't regret. Due to the fact that she wasn't at the battle with you, you were distracted and this allowed Yuga to win. Without the Princess, we are nothing!"

The older one smirked at the younger one and made his sword and shield disappear. As he did this, a similar glowing door opened in front of the pair, and it revealed the other two incarnations that Ravio had met. Another tear fell from the older ones eye as he knew that his job was over.

"But wait, where is Queen Hilda?" Ravio looked around.

"I'm here," came the voice of the Queen from behind them.

Turning around, the pair noticed the Queen there. The older one was frozen in place when he saw her because he knew all his struggles were over as he saw her smile again. After a few moments of staring at her smile, he ran over and wrapped his arms around her as he pressed his face into the crook of her shoulder. The two almost fell over but Hilda was able to keep the now weeping older Ravio up on his feet. Ravio just looked at the scene with a melancholy sense. It made him miss his Hilda more and more. After a while, Queen Hilda lifted older Ravio's head up and gently pushed her lips on his. They held this intimate moment for a minute and then they released each other except for their hands and they began to walk to the door where their ancestors waited for them to come home. Before they got to the door, they stopped to talk to the young charge they were leaving. Letting go of her Ravio's hand, she gently placed a kiss on the younger Ravio's cheek.

"Thank you. You saved me." She whispered to the younger Ravio and walked to the door.

The older Ravio grabbed his younger incarnate and pulled him into a bear hug and then released him.

Speaking low enough for only Ravio to here, "I know about the prophecy. What I say to it is screw it, make your own destiny. You need not follow a prophecy, just your heart. You learned that the hero needs his princess. That was the point of this last trial, was to learn that the goddesses left the Triforce for someone who had the love of a Goddess, and that my son is what you have. When you get back to Lorule, go get her. Never let her go, and you will see a brighter tomorrow.

Grasping him in one last hug, the older one went through the door to join his Hilda. As the door was closing, the three pairs waved to Ravio and he waved back. As the doors closed, Ravio was alone once again, and he took one last look over to the other golden Triforce that was the mirror image of the one he was standing on. He missed Link, but he knew if Link saw him now he would be proud. With that last thought, the spirit plain began to fade and he knew it was time to face whatever trials were ahead of him. He was now ready to be the hero that Lorule needed.

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><p><em>Well it looks, we are past the first part of the story. Ravio is now the hero he always wanted to be, but there are many trials he still has to face. The first one is telling Hilda how he feels, if he can find her. That might be easier than he thinks. You'll find out next time, but until then please review. <em>

_Until Next time_

_Hero of Lorule_


	9. Go

_Hi all, I know its been a while since I've published a chapter, but it has been a busy few weeks for me with starting college and everything. Also, I was having major writer's block, which I have gotten through mostly with the help of PrincessZelda1468. She has been a great partner to toss around ideas with, and I have to thank her for all her help. This one is more of a transition chapter to get us from the spirit plain to the actual bulk of the story. I hope you all enjoy, and again I apologize for the wait. I do not own Legend of Zelda._

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><p>Ravio woke up in front of the pedestal for the master sword, and blinked his eyes a few times from the sunlight that was streaming through the canopy above his face. Being uncomfortable due to the sword on his back, he rolled over and finally got up. Once he was standing, a flash of light came from the sword and the Spirit of the Sword floated in front of him.<p>

"Master, you have returned to the land of the Lorule. You have aged four years and are now what would be considered a young adult. Look at yourself." The spirit stated to him.

Ravio did and he noticed the changes in his body. He was taller like he always wanted to be. Maybe he would be taller than Hilda know he thought to himself. His body was also more toned, and he felt that he could handle whatever came at him. As he was checking himself out, he heard a branch snap behind him and automatically turned around as he drew his sword and shield. When he turned around, he saw an old man with a look of shock on his face. The old man stuttered to say something, but instead gave a slight bow to the young man.

"Stand up, elder. There is no need to bow to me." Ravio said gently.

Straightening up, "You have been gone for a few years hero. It is good to see you have finally returned."

Ravio nodded in agreement and was about to speak when a little white bird came zipping into the clearing. Seeing Ravio, the bird began flying around his head until he held out his finger for the bird to land on. The bird happily did and Ravio pulled him close and began to pet his old friend. The old man let this reunion go on for a time and then cleared his throat.

"Hero, I am Aru. I am the sage of light. In order for you to be able to battle the Demon Master, you must awaken the seven sages." Aru stated grandly.

"Aru, first just call me Ravio, I don't need this hero title, and secondly I already have a quest. I need to restore the master sword to its ultimate form or I will not stand against the great demon. Also, I need to find the Princess." Ravio told the sage.

"I'm sorry Ravio, but the Princess disappeared right after you did four years ago." Aru sadly told Ravio.

"What?! The princess is gone. What has been going on in Lorule while I have been away?" Ravio asked in disbelief.

"The land itself has healed, but the people have gone even more insane. The mask cult basically runs the entire kingdom now, but no one goes near the castle. It seems like it's abandoned, but anytime anyone went near it they were driven off by an unseen force. No one knows what this force is, but it drives away both the people and any monsters. The demon master has been assembling forces on the outskirts of Lorule. He is not powerful enough to break through into Lorule yet, but he will soon." The elder reported to Ravio.

"How do you know all this?" Ravio questioned the man.

"I am the elder that has kept the history of Lorule as my family was commanded by the original Hilda. The one who was the Goddess Loria reborn as a mortal. She commissioned my family to keep all records of the history so that it would never be completely lost." Aru stated. "My ancestor was the first sage of light, just as your ancestor was the original hero."

"Alright than, I think my first stop should be to the castle." Ravio made up his mind.

"Are you sure, shouldn't you be trying to finish your quests first?" Aru tried to convince him otherwise.

"I think going there will help with my quests." Ravio stated resolutely.

"No boy, the princess is not there, you must avoid the castle at all costs. The unseen force is a malevolent one, in your sword's current form, you have no chance." Aru scolded the boy.

"Than where I should go, the first hero walked a very different Lorule than we are standing in now." Ravio retorted.

"I recommend the Dark Palace, according to my ancestor's records, it is where the hero found the Flame of Farore. Son of Valor, go seek out your mother's flame first just as your ancestor did." Aru stated solemnly, "take this and good luck."

"What is it?" Ravio asked as he took the gold disk that Aru handed to him.

"It is my insignia as a sage, each sage will have one. You must awaken the other five sages. Only then will the leader of the sages and the seventh sage be revealed. There is not much time, you must go now." Aru hurried the boy.

With that Ravio rushed out of the clearing with a clear objective in his mind as two red irises hidden in the trees stared at him and sighed sadly. Aru heard this, but pretended not to notice at first. Once he knew that Ravio was far enough away, he looked directly at the red eyes and motioned for the figure to come out. The figure jumped out of the tree and strode up to Aru's side. The figure was dressed in a dark orange, almost brown skin-tight body suit, with a white cloth down the front with an ancient design on it. In the suit, the figure's gender was indistinguishable, and its face was wrapped up only allowing for two strips of violet hair falling along the side of its face. Staring at the place where the young man had exited, the figure sighed again.

"He'll be fine, Cecil. He is the hero after all." Aru comforted the figure. "You're still going to help him aren't you?"

"Yes," replied the figure, "I couldn't bear it if anything happened to him, especially after how I left things."

"You never did tell me what you did because I remember the boy took a couple days to get to the sword." The old man commented.

"I banished him only because of the prophecy." The figure almost whispered as tears filmed over the red irises. "I need to make sure he doesn't get seriously hurt. We have to use him again just like my ancestors had to use their heroes and it breaks my heart. How much I wish we were just two normal people where we could live out our lives…together."

"So much for someone so young to go through, it isn't right for you to fight your ancestor's war." Aru shook his head sadly.

With that the figure rushed out of the clearing to follow silently behind the hero, being his shadow in more than one way. Aru couldn't help but feel pity for the two of them, so much love in their heart from a young age but they were forced to be separated for so long, but he knew that the sake of the kingdom would always come first for the hero and his princess. With that, Aru shuffled out of the clearing and as he did, he pulled a mask out of the folds of his robe. He had created the cult just to keep them in line as the world was falling apart, but now they were getting out of hand with no one to rule them. He barely controlled them and the only reason he hadn't been killed was the fact that he started the cult. It frightened him to think how they would react when they saw Ravio in the clothes of the hero. The old man had foolishly taught them the old stories of the heroes, and they knew what the hero always wore. He feared they would blame the plight they were having now on the fact that the hero hasn't been seen in a long time. The reason they hadn't suspected that boy clad in green to be a hero because he was the hero of a different land. The people were expecting a purple tunic not a green tunic. All the fears, the old man kept secret and he returned to the people he barely led. The clearing returned to its silent watch over the pedestal of the master sword as it echoed with its once former glory as the temple of Time, now completely lost to the ages.

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><p><em>This chapter was on the shorter side, so hopefully I'll get another one out in the next couple of days.<em> _I'm not going to play a game of guess who Cecil actually is, because I'm pretty sure I made it pretty clear who Cecil actually is. As always, please review so that I can make the writing better._

_Until Next Time,_

_Hero of Lorule_


	10. The Hero has Returned

_Hello Readers, hope I haven't made you all wait too long for this update. I'm starting to get a hang of the school stuff, and I had a snow day today. I feel that I should get another chapter out soon, I just wanted to get you all a chapter out as soon as I could and I felt like I stopped at a pretty good place to give you all a pretty decent chapter. As always I do not own the Legend of Zelda._

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><p>Ravio strode valiantly out of the woods until he had a good look around. He noticed that the land was crawling with even more monsters than it had when the Triforce was gone. He shrunk back to the woods not out of fear, but to form a plan in his head of how to get to his first destination, which was the home of the Ku, the green, one-eyed inhabitants of the waters of Lorule. From, his first trial he could remember that the area looked familiar to where they resided so maybe they knew something about where the first flame was. Ravio doubted this, but it was the only thing he had to go on. Looking around he noticed that all the monsters were wandering aimlessly, so if he was able to take them out from far away he could sneak around. It was then he remembered the bow and arrow he had gotten from the first trial. Pulling it out of his pouch, it expanded to its original size and it felt comfortable in Ravio's grasp. Letting the memories of his past lives take over, he nocked an arrow and pulled the fletching to his cheek. Taking aim, he shot the closest monster to him and it was a clean shot to the heart. The monster disappeared in a puff of green smoke and the surrounding monsters noticed. They looked around for the source but soon went back to what they were doing because they did not find the source.<p>

Ravio stayed hidden in the woods until he knew that the path was clear, and then he took out the next three monsters with ease. Venturing out from the woods with the bow ready, he crept over to where the first monster was slain and picked up the arrow that remained and checked the head to see if it was still usable. Seeing that it was, he replaced it in the quiver and repeated the process with the other arrows he had shot. One of his past lives had learned the hard way of running out of arrows, and it's not a mistake that Ravio planned on making. Continuing on the path, he ran into less and less monsters as he veered away from civilization, working his way around the back of the castle to come around on the East Side. Before going to face the Ku, he would need to stop at his house to rest and gather supplies.

Dispatching the monsters near his, house Ravio finally went up to the front door and noticed that the sun was setting and decided to stay in his house for the night, he knew that more monsters came out at night than during the day, and he didn't feel like having to fight a hoard of monsters while he could barely see. Opening the door, he stepped in. Leaving the door open, he searched for his lantern that he had left when he had left for Hyrule. Finally finding it in the pile of stuff that blocked his view to the fireplace, he lit it, and looked around. The place wasn't dusty as he had expected, but looked more like someone had been living in it for four years. Warily, he shut the door and went over to his bed. He took the sword, shield, cape, and boots off, but left the rest on and laid down in the bed. Making sure he could reach his sword, he slowly drifted off to sleep. Not noticing the pair of sapphire orbs staring at him through the window. Once he was asleep, the owner of the orbs jumped up to the roof to keep watch over the sleeping hero.

Waking up the hero found that he had slept through the night with no trouble and the sun was streaming through the single window in his house. Stretching he looked around at his place, he had forgotten how half of the room was now cut off by the pile of junk he had left. Seeing as there was nothing left for him to do, he put his equipment into place and went outside. The moment he stepped outside he noticed a bag at his feet. On the bag was a note that said one word _Hero_ in a cursive script that looked oddly familiar for the young man but he could not place it. Lifting up in the bag he saw that it had a canteen and dried food, Ravio hadn't even thought about supplies and was thankful for the gift. Taking the provisions, he put them into one of his pockets, where like the bow shrunk to a miniscule size.

With everything prepared, he set off for Ku's domain. He had no trouble with monsters until he reached the water. Once he reached the water's edge, a fireball spit out of him. Instinctively, he pulled out his shield and shot the orb back to its source, and he heard a pained hiss the moment it struck his attacker. Looking at the opponent, he noticed it was one of the Ku, the residents of Lorule's waters. Mentally scolding himself, he quickly ran farther along the shore away from the charred creature. He knew that this would make it harder for him to meet with King Ku. Running along closer to the waterfall, he kept having to block fireballs, but each time he made sure to direct them over the heads of his assailant, and he made sure to only draw his sword if there were other monsters nearby. The more weapons you drew against the Ku, the less they trusted you.

After about an hour, he finally reached the waterfall where he knew King Ku lived from what Hilda had taught him when he was younger. He began taking out his bow and laying it on the ground in front of him and then reached for his sword and shield but hesitated as he heard water splashing all around him. Out in front of him jumped five Ku and he knew that there were just as many behind him. Keeping his eyes on all of them he noticed that they all were opening their mouths to spit their fireballs at him, and tensed up his body to use his sword and shield at the right moment. Right before the Ku underlings could strike a voice called from the waterfall.

"Enough, hold your fire." The voice called regally, and the Ku all closed their mouths. "Lorian, continue with the proper greeting and I may agree to see you."

"Yes your majesty," Ravio replied as he continued with what he was doing. He pulled the shield off and laid it on top of the bow and arrow with the design facing up, so he couldn't grab it easily, and then drew the blade. Grasping the sword by the blade, he held it out to the waterfall as if offering it to the waterfall. Kneeling he continued with the ceremony. "Your highness, leaders of the Ku, with your permission I wish to speak to you."

Keeping his head lower, he heard the rest of the Ku gasp quietly. It had been years since a Lorian had performed the ceremonial request of audience correctly. The waterfall parted in front of the hero and out stepped a Ku maiden who had a sense of regality to her. Stepping in front of the hero, the queen grasped the hilt of the blade and continued the ceremony.

"Rise now, you have been granted an audience with the leader of the Ku."

Ravio looked up and was confused by the fact that he saw a female Ku, as far as he knew King Ru was the one in charge of the aquatic nation of Lorule. With the proper permission, he returned the blade to its sheath and retired the shield to its hook on the sheath and put the bow back into its pouch. With that he rose, and followed the Queen into her throne room, and the waterfall closed again behind them. The queen continued up the steps to the ornate throne made out of shells and pearls, and gracefully sat upon it. Looking down on the young hero, she waited for him to speak.

Seeing his cue Ravio began, "Your majesty, before I begin with my business I have two concerns. The first is that when I first reached the shores of your domain, I accidently launched one of your subject's fireballs directly back at him and I believe he needs medical attention right away."

"I have already sent two of my subjects to care for the injured. Continue." The queen replied curtly.

"The other concern is that the last time I had communicated with one of the Ku, King Ku had been ruling the Ku. I wish to know what happened to him." Ravio requested humbly.

"The King passed approximately four years ago, and I, being his daughter, assumed the crown." The queen answered the request.

"Princes Uva, or should I say Queen Uva. It has been many years hasn't it?" Ravio exclaimed.

With a spark returning to her eyes, the queen dismissed her guards who tried to protest. She reassured them that Ravio would not hurt her, and they reluctantly left. Once she knew they were gone, Uva ran down the steps to her throne and threw her arms around Ravio and began to squeeze the life out of him. He was able to pat her on her shell hard enough for her to release him and he began to grasp for breath, but was able to keep his balance. Looking at her old friend, Uva couldn't help but chuckle, but that was soon replaced by anger.

"And where do you think you've been?" She questioned as she jabbed the young man in the chest with her green, scaly finger.

"Asleep," Ravio replied sheepishly.

"Very funny, Mr. Hero." She retorted sarcastically

"Actually, about that…" Ravio trailed off.

"No, you mean you're actually a hero." She started laughing uncontrollably," Hilda must have put you up to this. Where is she anyways?"

"I wish I knew," Ravio stated downheartedly. "I was put in to a slumber for four years, and I haven't seen her since she banished me before I was put to sleep"

"She banished you!? But don't you know she has had a major crush on you. Why haven't I seen you two for years now, I've been so lonely." Uva was beginning to get hysterical.

"I'm sorry that they put me to sleep for four years, and Hilda is following some stupid prophecy. I need to see her, but she hasn't been heard from in four years. The rest of Lorule is going to shambles, and some ancient demon is rising back to power. And it's all up to me to deal with." Ravio chuckled bitterly.

"Wait, you're being serious aren't you. Than I have to ask why did you come to me?" The queen suddenly returned to her regal manner.

"I have come to see if you knew where the sacred flame of Farore would be found. The sword I carry is what is called the Goddess sword and it was forged long ago for the hero by the Goddess Loria. It was reforged in the flames of the Goddesses to form the legendary master sword which held the consciousness of the demon Chaos until the Triforce was destroyed. I will face the demon just as my ancestors did and I need to return the blade to its former glory if I am to have a chance to win." Ravio relayed to the queen who looked on in silence.

Sighing inwardly, "Ravio, I do not know where this flame you seek would be found. I am sorry, but there is one who may know."

"Where may I find her?" Ravio beseeched.

"You won't, only a handful of the Ku know where she is and she will only come at a royal summons, but even she will not listen unless it is for an important reason. Do you have a message for her that might make her listen to my summons?" Uva looked down at the young man eagerly.

Mulling it over, he stated simply "The Hero has Returned."

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><p><em>Well that was a pretty good line to end on if I do so say myself. I could have kept going, but I felt like you guys deserved another chapter so I left some things for the next chapter. I am writing this for you guys so please review so I can make anything better.<em>

_Until Next Time,_

_Hero of Lorule_


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